Beer-pipe cleaner.



No. 831,635. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

J. STRUNGE. BEER PIPE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1905.

Wness J awn/V l TE sra'ras PATENT Prion.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH STRUNOE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beer Pipe Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in an ap aratus to be used for cleaning pipes, and w ile it is more especially intended to be employed for cleaning beer-pipes, such as are used for drawing beer from ke s, casks, or vessels, yet it is applicable for c eaning pipes used for other purposes; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangements, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a pipe-cleaner which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable, and effective in operation, and so made that it will be ortable and easily connected to or detached om the pipe to be cleaned.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and Fig. 2 is a detached side use the same, I will now proceed to describe it,referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a beer-pipe cleaner embodying my invention,

showing portions of pipes used to connect it to a source of water-su ply, a source of air under pressure, and to tlife pipe to be cleaned. view of the mixer for the cleaning substance and water. Fig. 3 is a sectional view thereof, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a view, artly in section and partly in elevation, of the mixer.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

The reference-numeral 7 designates a vessel which may be made of any suitable size, form, and material, but preferably of metal, and has its lower end funnel-shaped, as shown. The vessel 7 has on its outer surface near its upper end an outwardly and downwardly extending projection 8, by means of which it maybe supported at a suitable point. The top of the vessel 7 is rovided with an opening 9, through which t e cleaning mateme], preferably sand 10,- may be inserted into the vessel. Communicating at one of its Specification of Letters Pate nt. Application filed November 17,1905. Serial N0.Z87,836.

Patented Sept. 25', 1906.

ends with the u per portion of the vessel 7 is a pipe 11, whic communicates at its other end with an air-compressor or a source of a r under pressure. (l\ot shown.) Commun cating with the lower end of the vessel 7 1S one end of a ipe 12, in which is located a controlling-va ve 13, the other end of which is connected by a union-coupling 14 with a tubular portion 15 of the mixer 16, WhlCh 1s circular, as shown, and has on each of its sides an internally-screw-threaded extension 17, to one end of which is secured a pipe 18, which leads from a supply of water under pressure, and the other member 17 has connected thereto a pipe 19, which 18 rovided with a valve 20, used for shutting o or controlling the flow of Water and cleanmgsubstance therethrough. Connected to the outer end of the ipe 19, by means of a coupling21, is a piece of hose 22, which may be connected at its other end to the beer-faucet or to the pipe to be cleaned.

The operation of the device is simple and as follows: A uantity of sand is placed in the vessel 7, w en by opening the valves 13 and 20 and sup lying compressed air through the pipe 11 to 1518 vessel 7 and water throu h the pipe 18 it is apparent that the sand will be forced into the mixer 16, and as the water admitted thereto, is alsounder pressure 1t will be conveyed throu h the pipes 19 and 22 into the beer-pipe or 0t er pi e to.be cleaned, in which 0 eration the san and water Will be forced t ough the pipes with considerable pressure and will remove from the interior of the pipes all of the foul matter adhering thereto. After a sufficient quantity of the I sand has been used for cuttiniglloose and removing the foul matter or ngus owth caused by the fermented yeast in the eer or otherwise the compressed air may be turned off and the valve 13 closed, when pure water will be forced through the pipes 18 19 22 and pi e to be cleaned, thus removing any sand w ch may have been left or deposited 1n the beer-pipe.

By my above-described construction it will be understood that, while I refer to use sand as a cleansing agent, yet may substitute therefor other substances, such as sal -so( la or any other suitable solvent, and that itwill be fed bymeans of the compressed airinto the mixer 16, which is located at a point beyond the cleansing-receptacle, where the operation is taken up by the flow of water, and thus carried through the pipe or pipes to be cleaned.

through t The wateripe 18 may be provided with a shut-off val ire 23, so that the said ipe may be closed and a cleansing solution orced by air throu h the pipes 12, 19, and 22 into and e pipes to be cleaned.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to sebureby Letters Patent, is

The combination with a vessel ada ted to contain sand or a cleansing agent and aving' at its upper end an opening for the admission of the sand or cleansing agent, of a pipe communicating at one of its ends with the upper end of the vessel, a

pe communicating at one of its ends with t e lower end of the vessel and provided with a controlling-valve, a 1

mixer consisting of a chambered circular porss1,esa

tion havin a tubular extension on its eriphery an tubular projections on, its si es, said tubular extension connected to the lower end of the pipe communicating with the lower end of the vessel, a pipe connected'at one of its ends to one of the proj ections on the mixer, another pipe having a controllingvalve and connected at one of its ends to the other projection onthe mixer and adapted to be connected at its-other end to the beer pi e or ipes to be cleaned, substantially as escribed. i

JOSEPH STRUNCE.

Witnesses: I

CHAS. C. TILLMAN, M. A. NY A 

